


In the Dark of This Place, There's the Glow of Your Face

by orphan_account



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: M/M, calum isn't drunk the whole fic don't worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-02
Updated: 2015-04-02
Packaged: 2018-03-20 19:36:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3662412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ashton is a hungry light-sleeper. Calum is a home-invading, dog-loving drunken surprise in his backyard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the Dark of This Place, There's the Glow of Your Face

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! So here's yet another cashton fic.  
> This was one of the listed ideas from [this post](http://theappleppielifestyle.tumblr.com/post/112392287541/). I read it and thought it screamed cashton, soooo... here we are now. Their age is never mentioned, but for the plot to be more realistic i consider Ashton and Calum to be in their late twenties/early thirties in this fic. Not a big deal though, probably.  
> I hope you enjoy reading it and much as i did writing it!

A loud thump coming from the outside startled him.

Ashton was heating the lasagna his mom had given him from his last visit, quieting his 2 am cravings for fast food, when he heard it. He immediately reached for the golf club resting by the backside door. He never used it, not even to play golf even though his work colleagues had invited him countless times to play with them. No matter how much they insisted it wasn’t boring, he still didn’t see the appeal of hanging out with middle aged men. He still bought it for some reason, but he never thought he would use the club to defend himself against a possible robber, he thought this was a safe and simple neighborhood that wouldn’t attract them. Apparently, he was wrong.

He slowly opened the door to his backyard. The stillness of the night contrasted with his fast-beating heart and his short quick breaths, and the light coming from the street posts illuminated his way as he moved swiftly through the yard. He scanned it with wary eyes, in hopes of spotting movement or hearing strange sounds.

He thought maybe he should’ve brought his phone with him. Not like Ashton couldn’t defend himself, but if a real danger was hiding in his backyard, he doubted a pathetic golf club he bought on Amazon would help him much.

He heard shuffling and a low whisper from the left side of the house, which he followed immediately. He leaned his side against the wall and slowly neared the corner. He heard a chuckle, a sound that confused and intrigued him, made him jolt, but not out of fear. Those were not usual sounds that someone invading people’s houses would make. Maybe some kids were playing a prank on him by vandalizing his house.

 _Damn teenagers_ , he thought, peeking from the corner and laying his eyes on the source of the ruckus.

The dim light didn’t allow to see much, but Ashton could make out some of the features of the intruder sitting with his back against the wooden door, petting his dog, Indie, murmuring words to her with a silly smile plastered on his face.

So the barks he was hearing only a few minutes before weren’t the normal ones that Indie let out during the night. The neighbors even had made complaints, but Ashton couldn’t really do anything about it. And if he could, he still wouldn’t do anything about it. He didn’t care about them, not since the other adults decided to not invite him to the last barbecue, claiming it was just for “parents looking to relax”.

Ashton walked towards the stranger, holding the grip of the golf club tightly, careful not to scare him away so he could round him up and demand an explanation as to what he was doing there and why the hell he was petting his dog. He could see the short dark hair and the bushy eyebrows that framed his face.

The intruder burst a laugh when Indie licked his cheek, and proceeded to nuzzle her furry neck speaking high pitched words.

 _Oh_.

Ashton laughed out of relief, feeling the knot on his stomach untying. His grip on the club softened. He couldn’t believe he had feared for a robber when all it came down to was a drunk guy that looked about his age. But still, Ashton wasn’t just going to let him get away.

“Hi, good evening! How’ve you been?” Ashton spoke in a sarcastic tone, stepping towards the guy, “Look, I’m all for hearing noises coming from my backyard in the middle of the night to find out a stranger in my house petting my dog, but I need to ask: What the hell are you doing here?” by the last question Ashton had lost the sarcastic tone and the forced smile.

The boy looked up at him from where he was resting his head, still smiling, “Dogs are the best thing in this world. I love dogs. I wish i could pet all of them.”

He spoke slowly, dragging his words, which entertained Ashton. There was no way the guy was threatening. If anything, he just reminded him of Indie when she wanted cuddles. Ashton smiled at the boy for a few seconds before returning to his tense posture.

“Don’t you have your own dog to pet?” Ashton asked with a scowl.

The boy frowned, “They don’t allow dogs in my apartment building.”

The stranger’s voice was fragile and sad for a moment, pouting his bottom lip as he hugged Indie, who let out a small cry as if she was begging Ashton to let him play with her more. Both of them stared at him, eyes filled with hope. Ashton almost fell for it.

“So you invade random people’s houses at 2am to pet their dogs…” he said in a judgemental tone.

The other boy nodded his head, “Exactly! I’m like a silent, discrete dog hero. A hero the people deserve, but not the one they need.”

“Yeah, you’re a real Dark Knight kind of guy,” Ashton snorts, “What’s your real name, Batman?”

“‘S Calum,” the boy answered with a smile that quickly died when he spotted what was in Ashton’s hand. He spoke in a nervous tone, “Why are you holding a golf club?”

Ashton looked at the club, “Oh!” he started laughing, “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna use it. I thought you were a robber and brought this to…” Ashton trailed off, blushing, “It’s embarrassing, but I thought I could take on the robber with this.”

“That would’ve knocked me right down,” Calum said, a smirk returning to his face, “If that makes you feel better.”

“It kinda does, thanks,” Ashton replied. He didn’t notice the smile he was directing at Calum, but didn’t stop doing it. He was, in fact, an intruder. But he was a nice, funny and drunk intruder, completely harmless and really not bad-looking. He continued, “So, Calum! How did you exactly end up in my backyard?”

“I... climbed the wooden fence thingy, with the door,” he turned his head and pointed behind him, “This thing.”

Ashton couldn’t hold in a laugh, “Thanks a bit obvious. I meant, how did you end up here, in my street and climbing my fence?”

“Oh,” Calum giggled, “Well, we were both having fun, me and Michael, drinking at the bar and then he gets this call and says he has to go. I think it was a booty call.”

“Michael seems like a hell of a friend,” Ashton jokes. “Why didn’t you go home?”

“I didn’t want to! I was having too much fun to end the night there! So I kept ordering drinks, and then the owner called me a cab. He gave the driver my address but I told him that it was my old one, and gave him random directions until I got here.”

“Smart,” Ashton said sarcastically, “And how are you planning to go home now?”

“I’m sure I’ll figure it out,” Calum said with a wide smile.

Ashton scoffed. “Of course you will,” he said.

He heard the _ding_ from the oven from the inside of the house, indicating his lasagna was ready. He looked between the boy on the floor and the house, wondering if he should leave him there by himself, scratching his dog’s ears and trusting him not to flee and take her with him.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” he said, already racing back to the house.

He heard Calum say something as he stepped away, but his speech was getting sloppier and drunker, so he didn’t catch it.

After he took the lasagna out of the oven and put down the golf club, he hurried back outside. They were both still there, Indie lying down on Calum’s lap while he scratched her belly. He giggled, a sound that made Ashton smile and his chest flutter. He was annoyed with Calum at first, like any person would be if they found an intruder in their house playing with their dog, but his inebriated charm got the better of Ashton.

“It’s getting cold here, come inside,” he said.

Calum didn’t answer. He blinked his eyes one at a time and stretched his arm. Ashton grabbed his hand and pulled him up to his feet, perhaps a little too harshly because Calum was struggling to keep his balance. Ashton held him by his shoulders.

“Are you okay?”

Calum’s was silent. His eyes were blank and staring at nothing, a look Ashton recognized too well from the endless number of parties he’d been to. Calum pushed Ashton’s shoulder with bare strength and turned his body away from him, bending forward.

Ashton held his forehead and kept an arm on his waist through it, patting Calum’s back when it ended.

“I’m so sorry, man,” Calum coughed.

“It’s fine, we’ve all been there,” he comforted, pulling Calum back up and rubbing his hand on his back.

Ashton glanced at the mess on the grass, twisting his nose at it. He looked back at Calum, who already had a growing grin on his face once again.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” Ashton murmured, helping Calum by curling his arm around his waist to help him walk to the house.

He thought it was okay. The guy was drunk and wouldn’t remember any of this, probably didn’t even hear anything, so calling him cute didn’t feel like a big deal. He might as well help him. God only knew where this guy lived, and he wouldn’t just let him go to stumble on the streets, worse than a lost puppy, vulnerable to any possible danger. He frowned at the thought, tightening his grip on the boy.

When they got inside he let Calum fall on his couch, picking up a pillow. He fluffed it, put it under Calum’s head, and took his shoes off so he could put them on the couch. He had black socks, with images of the ninja turtles sewed on them. Ashton smiled. It looked like this guy had as much trouble to let go of his childhood geeky obsessions as he did.

“Smells so good,” the brunette boy slurred, his eyes already closed.

“Yeah, it’s lasagna. But that’s not the best idea right now, you just threw up,” Ashton said.

“Save some for me, then,” he argued.

“I don’t know, once I start eating it I don’t know if I can stop,” Ashton teased.

Calum tried to say something, but it turned out as a long whine.

“You look settled down,” Calum said after a brief silence, “You have a nice house. What do you do for a living?”

It was a weird, unexpected question. Ashton didn’t understand why Calum wanted to know it. He was not settled down at all. There was still a lot he wanted to do with his life before settling down.

“For a living? I have an office job, kinda boring but pays well. And I do a lot of photography on the side, which I really like to do but haven’t made much money from it,” Ashton answered, “What do you mean, settled down?”

“You look like you have your life figured out,” Calum explained, “I wouldn’t be surprised if a kid came from that door calling for you.”

An offended sound crawled out of Ashton’s mouth, “I am not a dad!”

“You dress like one,” Calum said, an unimpressed look on his face.

Ashton’s scowl only deepened, “These are my ‘jamas!”

Calum laughed hysterically, “‘Jamas! That’s such dad slang,” he threw his head back even further on the pillow, fighting to breathe, hand over his belly.

“‘m not a dad,” Ashton whined, “I’m probably the same age as you!”

Calum’s laughs died down after a few seconds, and the house was quiet again. He brought a finger to his eye to clean a spilled tear, “I didn’t mean it in a bad way,” he said, calm, while locking eyes with Ashton, “You could be one of those hot young single dads.”

Ashton blushed at the compliment, and tried to hide although it was too dark in the living room for Calum's drunken eyes to notice it anyway. He had said it so nonchalantly that Ashton believed he didn’t really mean it, that it was only one of those things alcohol made people blurt out. Still, he felt his cheeks burning.

"Single?" Ashton asked.

Calum looked expectantly at him, "Hoping."

Ashton's cheeks were shades of red darker by now. He wondered if this was a dream. An ego-boosting dream that felt too real and warm.

Dream or not, though, he wasn't going to let this go further.

“You’re drunk,” Ashton scoffed, "You have to sleep, your pretty head desperately needs rest."

"But I wanna talk," Calum wailed.

As he finished saying it, Calum opened his mouth to let out a silent yawn. He scrunched his nose and squinted his eyes while he did it, and Ashton thought it was impossibly adorable.

Ashton pulled the blanket folded at Calum’s feet over him and tucked him in.

It was ridiculous. Ashton didn’t even know this guy and there he was, taking care of him like they were long-time friends, like he was a child or someone unable to look after themselves. Yet, he couldn’t help but smile down at the boy lying in his couch, couldn’t help the feeling that he was doing right by helping him. He felt unexplainably protective over this stranger.

He wondered if they could be at least friends, wondered even what it would be like to have more friends his age besides Luke, who he loved but had the stunning ability to be the most annoying human being alive. The middle aged men at his workplace were nice and sometimes fun to be around, but Ashton was too young to identify with them. He had dreamed and wished for a new friend for a while, and maybe Calum was the answer to his prayers.

Calum's eyes fluttered close, and he buried his head farther into the pillow trying to adjust its position.

Ashton's stomach growled, pulling him out of his gaze and making him follow the delicious scent that led him to the kitchen. When he came back to check on Calum, he was already snoring, his mouth ajar with a bit of drool threatening to spill out. He twitched a smile and went to his room.

 

***

 

Strings of light peeked through the blinds, hitting the back of Ashton’s hand, a pleasant feeling of warmth that he almost could feel spreading along his arm. He focused on it, chewing his cheese toast absent-mindedly while watching the way the bright shapes dancing on his hand as he moved it.

He got so lost in his actions, he almost missed the slow steps that neared the kitchen’s door. He raised his head in its direction and watched the brunette boy walk in slow uneasy steps, his head dropped, rubbing his eyes and squinting them as they met the light that filled the space.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” Ashton teased, although unsure if he should do it at all, “It’s almost noon. I was starting to doubt your consciousness.”

Calum lifted his head to face Ashton. He furrowed his eyebrows slightly, as much as his state allowed him to, and spoke in hesitant tone, “Mornin’.”

His voice was hoarse, much raspier and lower than it had been hours ago. Ashton wondered how bad Calum felt. But the way he reacted to his words made him more worried about something else.

“Oh god…” he said, “Please tell me you remember something from last night.”

Calum gave a short nod, “I remember everything. Except where I am and how I got here.”

“Well, that’s not so bad,” Ashton said as he got up from his seat and glided to the sink, picking up a glass and filling it with water, “Here, drink it, all of it. And sit down, we don’t want any accidents.”

Calum looked at him like he was holding in a question. He didn’t open his mouth though, took the glass from Ashton’s hand and sat across from where Ashton was seated when he told him to.

“You hungry?” Ashton asked, “I can make you a honey sandwich if you’d like, it’s good for you because they’re easy to digest.”

Calum kept his eyes on him as he talked, still remaining silent. It was an image far from the one Ashton had witnessed the night before, of a chatter-box Calum that had a permanent crooked smiled and a mute laugh. Ashton wished he could see that once more.

“I mean, we can’t have you throwing up again and-”

Calum’s loud groan interrupted him. He brought his hands to his face to hide it and rested his elbows on the table.

“I can’t believe I threw up in front of you,” he grumbled, uncovering his face, “I’m so sorry about that. Give me a moment to regain my strength and I’ll take care of it.”

“No need, I already sprayed it down with the hose. And don’t worry, it wasn’t troubling at all, even reminded me to water the plants.”

Calum pressed his lips into what Ashton thought was an attempt of a smile. He turned to the cupboard and took the bread and honey to prepare Calum’s breakfast. Once he did it, he put it on a plate and placed it in front of the other boy. He ran to the bathroom and took the Alka-Seltzer package from the cabinet and returned to the kitchen, dropping it on the table. He then sat in front of Calum and picked his now cold toast where he had left it before.

“I feel so pampered,” Calum murmured, and Ashton wasn’t too sure if he intended him to hear it.

“I’ve had my share of hangovers. Still do sometimes, actually,” he laughed shortly to himself remembering the last time he and Luke got drunk in his backyard and ended up running naked in the middle of the street. He continued, “And I always wish I had someone there to help me during those times of suffering, so...”

“But you’re the one helping me,” Calum said, a hint of a frown on his face.

“It’s alright. You’re a cool dude and I like being helpful,” said with a smile.

Calum scoffed a laugh and dropped his head, shaking it, “I don’t even know your name. I know your dog’s name, and I don’t know yours. And yet, you’re saying and doing all these nice things. For a guy that broke into your backyard to pet your dog.”

“It was a nice thought, although a bit invasive and unnecessary,” Ashton joked, “You turned out to be nice, so this is all fine. It’s Ashton, by the way. My name. Would be a lot easier if I came with a name tag too, huh?” he laughed nervously, realizing almost instantly how weird and unfunny he was being. He cleared his throat and dragged his elbows nearer to the edge of the table, furthering his body from the it.

To his surprise (and relief), Calum gave a chuckle at that, “Sure would.”

Their eyes met for a moment, and Ashton’s cheeks grew hotter, felt even redder than the constant blush he sported since Calum came in the kitchen. Calum had a small smile on his lips that Ashton matched, and he thinks he could freeze that moment and live in its feeling for the rest of the day.

He broke the stare by looking down at his toast and giving it a last bite before standing up and picking his plate up to drop on the sink. He turned to Calum again, resting his weight on the counter with his hands curled on the edge. The brunette boy was already looking at him, leaving Ashton asking himself if he had ever taken his eyes off him since he got up his seat.

“Besides…” he said in a suggestive voice, “If you feel so bad by all of this, you could always pay me back somehow.”

“Oh?” Calum raised his eyebrows, a small playful smile on his lips.

“You don’t leave just yet. This is, unless you have somewhere else to be…”

“I don’t,” he answered, smiling, “I could stay here a couple of hours.”

So Calum stayed a couple of hours. And a couple more. And a couple more. It seemed like they went by like minutes. They kept talking in the kitchen for a while before Ashton decided to take the conversation to his backyard. They played with Indie and shared laughs, played an incredibly slow game of footy that was mainly them talking about their favorite bands and movies, their favorite drunk stories and favorite childhood memories. And when Ashton’s stomach growled, he ordered pizza for both of them, but first asking if Calum was sure he could take it, because greasy food wasn’t always good for hangovers.

All of it was over when Calum got a worried call from Michael - who sounded very unpleased and loud on the phone - demanding to know where he was and to get home right at that moment. He couldn’t help his faltered smile when Calum told his friend he was on his way, but still called him a cab and walked him to the door.

“I wish I could stay a bit more,” Calum confessed as he stepped outside the front door.

“Nah, I kept you for too long,” Ashton said, feeling a bit off. Those words were exactly the opposite of what he wanted to say. But he knew that, sadly, Calum had to go.

“I’m not complaining,” Calum answered with a smirk, meeting Ashton’s hazel eyes for a second before dropping his gaze to Ashton’s doormat, “Thanks… you know, for not kicking me out and taking care of me.”

“That was nothing!” Ashton says, hand holding the door open as if he’s subconsciously telling Calum to come in again, “Hope I get to see you again,” he added, scared he sounded a bit too hopeful.

Calum raised his eyes again to look at Ashton and nodded, gave him a one-sided smile before he turned on his feet. He wasn’t walking towards the cab, though. Instead, he was slowly dragging his feet, even stopping to kick a pebble on the way. Ashton heard him sigh.

Then, he turned back around, almost lunging in Ashton’s direction and stopping only a feet from him. Ashton’s heart rate picked up, and by the way Calum’s harsh breaths were coming out of his mouth, he must feel the same way.

Calum reached his back pocket with a shaking hand, pulling out his phone in front of him. He hummed, his eyes cast down on it.

"We can, uh..." he murmured, holding out his phone with a tight grip, "I mean, if you want-"

"Gimme that," Ashton said, snatching Calum's phone out of his hand, his arm hair raising when he touched his trembling fingers. He typed his phone number and gave the phone back, wearing a silly grin the entire time, "Here. Give me a call sometime," he tried to sound as natural as possible, but it almost came out as a plead.

"I will," Calum promised, smiling. "Well... bye, then."

After Ashton returned the goodbye, Calum began walking backwards, still holding eye-contact with him with a big smile. About halfway of Ashton's frontyard, he turned with a little jump and almost leaped his way to the cab. He got in the backseat and closed the door, looking at Ashton one last time and waving his hand before the car started.

Ashton followed the cab as far as his eyes let him. He didn't notice he still had his hand up from waving Calum back, and immediately let it drop with a tinge of pink coloring his cheeks.

He headed back inside, when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took the phone in his hands and opened a text from an unknown number.

His lips spread into a smile as he read it.

_How do you feel about dinner, tomorrow night?  
_ _Calum_

**Author's Note:**

> hey again! if you ever find yourself in the mood to talk about 5sos ships (specially cashton) and maybe cry about them or something like that, you can go to my [5sos blog](http://putairwin.tumblr.com/) and do that thing. Thanks so much xx


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